An Analysis of Camelot Unchained: Part One

The Camelot Unchained Analysis: Starting from Step One

I suppose some new and future Melonmancers, as well as those who play certain games exclusively, won’t know me or about the game I’ve been anticipating for four years now, Camelot Unchained; even among those who do know me and Camelot Unchained, few would have anywhere near my knowledge or access to what Camelot Unchained is and wants to be and that is exactly what I aim to lay out before all of you now.

To start with, Camelot Unchained is labelled as an RvR-focused MMORPG. RvR refers to Realm versus Realm, a fairly common feature of MMORPG’s of the early ’10s. What RvR entails is two or more factions with three as the standard locked in combat over objectives and resources which essentially comes down to PvP on a larger scale, but is also much more than that.

Going only by labels does nothing to serve Camelot Unchained justice, both in theory and practice. That is why I am instead going to analyze what parts make up Camelot Unchained as a game, because no matter how much I talk about the game I feel there’s still a level of understanding that hasn’t been reached. We’ll start from the most basic key points and continue to break them down further as I continue. Thank you all in advance for reading this.

First, let’s go over the three basic concepts that cover the rest of Camelot Unchained’s game design. They all have overlap and there are more basic concepts I could cover, but any other concept I cover would simply fit within the three basic concepts outlined below.

RvR

RvR is the core of Camelot Unchained’s gameplay. Very little in Camelot Unchained doesn’t fall within or contribute to RvR, so this will be a heavily talked about subject moving forward. My description earlier of RvR being large-scale PvP was at the same time true, yet unjust. Also called Tri-realm combat, it is a true battlefield, chaotic with uneven numbers, uneven group compositions, and always the possibility of something changing in the middle of a fight. It is open and alive in contrast to more structured forms of PvP. A lot of more recent MMORPGs have attempted to include RvR, but it has been decades since it has truly shined. In regards to RvR Camelot Unchained doesn’t aim to relive past glory, but to unabashedly dive into its niche. This might alienate some of you from enjoying the game, but for those of you who can get into the idea of an RvR-centric MMORPG, then prepare to enjoy the fruits of a passionate focus rather than a pieced together mess of gameplays.

As we delve further into Camelot Unchained, we’ll cover these topics and more.

• Your Character as a Medium for RvR
• The World at War
• Weapons and Armor
• Combat
• Progression
• And more

Economy

RvR is war, but what is the point of a war? What is it good for? Well, aside from ensuring your survival, it gets you land and resources if you’re successful, and those things lead to money. Camelot Unchained is certainly not overlooking its economy, though like a lot of things in the game it will be driven by the players. Some players may even play entirely within the economy without ever being directly involved in RvR. With the amount of control and gameplay involved in the economy, it deserves its own section.

As we progress through this series, we may or may not stretch your idea of an economy.

• Currency
• Resources
• Armor and Weapons as Commodities
• Trade
• The Transport of Goods
• How It’s Made
• And more

Social

Then there are the social elements. MMORPGs are meant to be enjoyed with others. While solo-play can be a legitimate playstyle, it won’t mean much in an RvR-focused game if it doesn’t impact others. The makers of Camelot Unchained do very much care about how players interact with each other for a variety of reasons.

Let’s just get to the listing part, shall we?

• How You’ll Communicate
• Your Character as an Avatar
• Armor and Weapons as Fashion(?)
• Creative Outlets
• Guilds and Parties
• Role-play
• And more

I may also cover the Tech behind Camelot Unchained, that isn’t a gameplay feature, but is an important part of the game’s design, but I hope this has made clear where I intend to take this series and scratched the surface of what Camelot Unchained aims to be. See ya’ll next time.